Eating at Home

Think of the convenience foods that you enjoy and often buy when you are pressed for time and do not feel like cooking. I love going out to eat, but my budget does not allow it all the time. I think of the places that I enjoy and ponder how I can replicate or make my own version of their food.

One of my favorites is pizza. It's fast, tastes great, and is just another comfort food for me. I am still toying around with whether I want to make homemade crust, use a premade one, or use the Pillsbury version of dough. I try to use our canned tomatoes, if you're not that lucky use some tomato paste from the store. Get your favorite cheese and sprinkle on top and add whatever toppings you love. We are more a pepperoni and cheese fan than anything else which keeps it super simple.

Pasta is another one of my favorites and talk about cheap to make. You can make a ton of pasta and get many servings/meals out of it. I try not to get this when I go out because I know I'm basically paying them a ton for something that cost almost pennies for them to make. You can make a bunch of pasta then use it in salads, just add a white sauce, cheese, or tomato sauce to it. Meatballs can be a nice addition if you are partial to them. Grab a small thing of hamburger meat and make your own balls. Add a simple salad with greens, shredded cheese, croutons, pepperoni, a peppercini for fun, and some homemade dressing (I'm still looking into this). For garlic bread you can use spray butter, seasonings (I've used Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic) garlic powder, garlic salt, whatever you want, on pieces of bread put it on a cookie sheet and bake until they are as crisp as you want them.

Sandwiches are another thing that I look forward to getting for a quick meal. If you think about it how hard is it to make a sandwich, but it takes just a tiny effort to make a sub like Subway. You just need the right type of bread, sandwich makings, and there you have it. Keep some nuts, fruit, crackers, chips, or cookies around to add to that sandwich.

Line Drying

Instead of using your dryer all the time, think about using what is free, Air! I understand that because of weather you might not be able to put your clothes out, especially if you live in Southwestern PA. A cheap and easy way to make a clothes line in your laundry room is to take some sort of rope, laundry line, whatever that you might have laying around and tie it up on each end. You can purchase a laundry drying rack. They come in two forms and stand up or a wall one that folds out. They range in prices, but the stand up one you can find for pretty cheap at Walmart. If your sweaters need some help with drying lay some towels or rags down on a table and place them on it. The towels will soak up the excess water. If you worry about having stiff clothing put a little bit of white vinegar in with your detergent to soften it or put your clothes in the dryer for a few minutes just to get some of the extra water out. Also, always clean out the lint in the lint collector and try to vacuum out the deeper area. This will keep your dryer working better and it will also help to prevent a fire. When the lint builds up in that area and can cause a fire. Find any way that works for you in cleaning it out. Enjoy your laundry and enjoy a lower utility bill.

Shopping for Gifts

When you're trying to get a gift for someone, think outside the box. Don't think that you have to pay retail or a large sum just to get a good treasure for a friend. The good news is that you don't have to! Go to TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Burlington Coat Factory, Kohl's, and thrift stores. Or even shop in the clearance sections of the local shops. All but the last one you can find brand new things for pretty cheap. The thrift stores you can sometimes find things that still have the tags on them. Think of the person that you are buying for, what do they like, what have they wanted to get into, what is something that they might not buy for theirself. You can always find kitchen goodies, clothing, decor, stationery, perfume, bath goodies, jewelry, etc. The list just keeps going on. Think ahead and then you will not be pressed for time, which usually ends up with you paying more than you wanted because you had to just get whatever you could and fast.

Using real vs. disposable.

Use real plates and cloth napkins for eating, even if you have guests over or a crowd. For clean up use rags and dishtowels. Try to use things that you can use over and over. Just throw them in the laundry.